Volume XLV, Issue 4: Sept. 13, 2013

the

volume xlv, issue 4 friday, 9/13/2013

Observer Spartans 2-0 pursue pg. 19

After 37-16 victory versus Marietta, Spartans head to Oberlin.

Sarah Whelan /The Observer

Senator touts innovation at CWRU Law Last Monday, Sept. 9, Senator Sherrod Brown visited the Case Western Reserve University Law School to share some ideals and answer students’ questions on any of today’s current issues. He started the talk by sharing a favorite quote and several anecdotes with the audience. The quote, from Ralph Waldo Emerson, was about the constant and consistent battle between the innovators and the conservators. This idea proved to be the theme of Brown’s personal mission and his message for the assembled audience.

The first story he told was of a dinner in Cincinnati where he was introduced to a table of African-American and Latina women who had just signed a union contract. When

he asked one of them, a fifty-year old woman, what it was like to have a union, she replied, “It’s the first week of paid vacation I’ve ever had.”

This took Brown into a discussion of the bias toward privilege that comes from the government. He again mentioned the conservators and innovators, indicating that conservators have a main goal of protecting wealth. Brown then compared them to the innovators, who he said had a different approach. The innovators (whom he openly and repeatedly commended and emphasized) would work over short periods, in bursts of innovative energy. The examples of worker’s safety acts, civil rights, safe air and water and the inventions of Medicare, Social Security and a minimum wage were used to show how the public had pushed the government forward.

The second anecdote Brown shared was of another Ohio politician, the recently deceased John Gilligan. When Brown was running in his first election he met Gilligan, who said to a colleague (about Brown), “I’ll campaign for or against him, whichever helps him more.” This brought a laugh to the audience as Brown explained that Gilligan was a controversial figure— controversial for being gutsy. When Ohio was in the bottom five states in the country for mental health care, it was Gilligan who brought about the institution of a state income tax.

This brought Brown again to praise for activism in America. In one of his many references to history, Brown spoke of the burst of energy from 1964 through 1966, which brought about Medicaid, emphasis on higher education and the Wilderness Act (to name a few). He told the group that it is im-

portant to fight the organizations that want to take rights away, such as women’s rights, collective bargaining, the right to work and voting rights. He made the claim that voting fraud in this country is insignificant, and the supposed fight against it was an effort by some (namely the conservators) to take voting rights away.

When the floor was opened to questions, the first was on if Obamacare will be funded. Brown stated that there are certain parts of it that cannot not be funded. It is a law; Congress passed it and the president signed it. The problem, he continued, is that a lot of people don’t want to recognize that law, and there are thing they can do to block it.

He gave the example of politicians, welldressed and generally well-off, taking their

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 3 Researcher earns third NIH grant

pg. 11 Italian culture: More than food

pg. 13 Greek study rooms: Unfair?

pg. 20 Men’s soccer first victory

Talia Gragg Contributing Reporter

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More apartment style housing planned for Northside

Targeted to be finished in fall of 2015, will house approximately 300 upperclassmen Mike McKenna News Editor

Site of New Housin g

Nobby’s Ballpark E 115th St

Despite their large class sizes, current freshman and sophomores who want to live in university owned housing as upperclassmen should have an easier time finding shelter soon. According to Interim Director of Campus Living Loretta Sexton, the university plans on building apartment style housing that will have room for approximately 300 juniors and seniors in time for the 2015-2016 school year.

According to Sexton, the new structure will be situated in the space that is currently the throwing sports field behind Clarke Tower near the corner of E 115th and Wade Park Ave. The house that sits at the junction of those two streets is not owned by the university and thus its property will not be

Wade Park Ave

included in the new construction. The new apartments will sit just south of that land.

The new housing is still very much in the planning stages, Sexton said. There isn’t a groundbreaking date yet, but the building should open in the fall of 2015.

It will house single, two and four bedroom apartments.

The architect and specific projections are still yet to be determined.

Currently focus groups are being held with students about the design of the new

structure. The meetings have primarily been concerned with figuring out how students use shared spaces. Many of the common spaces in the Village at 115 are open and often utilized by the entire community.

Sexton says that those involved in the new housing project are examining how to balance having community interaction while still maintaining personal space for the residents.

Katie Kleinberg, president of the Residential Housing Association, says that discussion regarding building a new residence hall began after the large class size of the graduating year of 2016 was announced.

1350 students submitted deposits to attend the university that year, a considerable increase over the previous year. The class size of 2017 had a large size as well, though no exact figures were obtainable at press time.

NY Times bestselling author to appear at Schubert Center speaker series on childhood adversity Brian Sherman Staff Reporter Bullying is a powerful word to many students. From childhood to adulthood, all of us experience bullying in some form, whether as victims, bystanders or even as bullies.

New York Times bestselling author Emily Bazelon recently published a book that discussed this issue, titled “Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy.” She will appear at Wolstein Hall on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss her book and the process she went through

to write it, with a book signing afterwards. The event will be free and open to the public, but will require online registration.

Bazelon, a senior research fellow at Yale Law School who has appeared on such shows as “The Colbert Report,” is well-known for her writing on the subject of bullying. She writes a regular column titled “Bull-E” for the online magazine Slate, where she is also a senior editor.

One story in her column, titled “What Really Happened to Phoebe Prince?” was nominated for the 2011 Michael Kelly award.

“Sticks and Stones,” one of her more recent works, attracted the attention of Gabriella Celeste, director of child policy

at the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University. Celeste, a lawyer, managed to connect with Bazelon, also a lawyer, through other lawyers she knew, which led to her scheduled appearance at CWRU. “The Schubert Center is all about kids’ well-being,” said Celeste. “We are primarily concerned about the school life of kids, and this book struck a chord.”

In her book, Bazelon follows the lives of a few children as they live through bullying, using their experiences with bullying as a stepping stone to discuss the larger issue of how to effectively deal with bullying. She also includes resources in her book to help those who experience bullying.

“The book is good, but I’m more in-

terested in the message of her book,” said Celeste, indicating its subtitle, “Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy.”

The Schubert Center was compelled to put on this event due to recent high-profile issues related to bullying. Here at CWRU, the center works to address issues, such as bullying, that commonly occur in schools.

Their 2013-2014 conversation series, of which Bazelon is the first speaker, will put an emphasis on overcoming adversity in childhood.

“We want students to feel supported and safe, both in person and on the internet” said Celeste. “We want to encourage bystanders to create a feeling of acceptance among the students.”

Weatherhead launches new design and innovation doctoral program Tanvi Parmar Staff Reporter The Weatherhead School of Management recently started a new Ph.D. program in the Department of Design and Innovation, chaired by Professor Dick Buchanan, who headed the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University.

This department combines three groups of faculty across the fields of marketing, policy and strategy and information systems. All three fields share common concerns for industry and management.

The faculty members’ goals are to focus on creating knowledge for generating novel and valuable products, services and systems, as well as developing organizational leaders and entrepreneurs who are skilled in designing innovative, value-creating relationships with customers, stakeholders and society.

Buchanan hopes that the addition of this department will move the school to a good balance between analytics and practical work.

The department offers a Ph.D. in management. It is the first ever doctorate in operations research grounded in the analytic system science. It also is the first doctorate in organizational behavior,

centered around a humanistic, appreciative approach to management inquiry.

Not to mention it is the first ever Doctor of Management (DM) for practitionerscholars, concerned with analyzing problems of management practice.

The principles for the Ph.D. in management with a concentration in Design and Innovation are to provide a rigorous interdisciplinary training in theory and methods through core courses and to challenge students to develop research articles in each year of study that draw from their interdisciplinary trainings.

The program offers six courses: research theory and method, qualitative research methods, measurement in management research, multivariate data analysis, theory building and analysis and advanced data analysis, that are intended to offer interdisciplinary orientation At the end of their first and second years, students are asked to write and present a publishable paper that displays their progress in the program. Students also must attend the interdisciplinary research seminar series during each year of study. After finishing coursework, students will take an exam that will determine whether or not they can begin the dissertation phase of the program.

The program offers either an information systems specialization or a market-

Arianna Wage/Observer The Weatherhead School of Management, which is primarily housed in the Peter B. Lewis Building, recently opened its the department of design and innovation, drawing faculty from marketing, policy and strategy and information system fields. ing specialization, and each seeks different kind of students.

Buchanan said, “I certainly hope that students understand and find new kinds

of jobs and be better equipped for management positions. [I hope] they keep their education relevant to the needs of business and management.”

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observer.case.edu

Editor’s Choice: Spotlight on Research

CWRU School of Medicine researcher earns third NIH grant to study psoriasis Kushagra Gupta Contributing Reporter Dr. Nicole Ward’s lab must be doing something right.

Ward, a dermatology professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, recently earned her third grant this year from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the cellular components of the skin disease psoriasis, a chronic immune-mediated disease known for causing scaly, red skin.

Having received an exploratory and developmental grant, termed an R21, Ward plans to zero in on the cellular mechanisms of the disease and pinpoint which key conditions are necessary to stimulate development of the skin inflammation indicative of the illness. She specifically has been pulling from recent case studies, and examining how nerves promote the onset of the disease. As she puts it, “We have an idea that one peptide has an effect on two different types of cells and that the other has an affect on two other sets of cells. What we don’t know whether the effects are direct or indirect. ” Ward, upon moving to the United States from Canada in 2003, has been studying the disease almost exclusively. Despite appearing 10 years ago, a genetically altered mouse from Ward’s first days of research here gave her the point of exploration for her first NIH grant this year. The noteworthy mouse had been modified to develop a skin phenotype similar to human psoriasis, but what interested Ward was the fact that the mouse developed heart lesions upon the onset of the disease, and later died from them.

“This [reaction] suggests that skin inflammation, itself, has the capacity to promote distant vessel disease,” she reasoned.

Upon further experimentation, Ward found that when she attempted to induce clots in the mice’s blood, mice with severe skin inflammation contained blood that clotted more readily, and that treating the swelling made it harder to produce clots.

With an Master of Science in Neuroscience and a Ph.D in Neurotrophins and Developmental Plasticity, the focus of her first grant wasn’t based off her degrees but rather from post doctorate work she was interested in back in Canada. It involved genetically altering mice, something divergent from her area of study. However, the research allowed her to gain her proficiency in vascular biology.

“I wanted to learn how to make mice,” she said.

As someone who was planning to

Mary Kate Macedonia/Observer Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Dermatology Professor Nicole Ward works in her lab. Ward holds a doctorate in neuroscience, but her research interests lie in vascular biology. study political science and history in college, her free-spirited, gung-ho attitude allowed Ward to follow her passions for further work. The same catalyst eventually prompted her to apply for a second NIH grant to study psoriasis. The grant’s funds are being used to specifically study the pro-inflammatory molecule Interleukin IL17C and its relation to the disease. The research is ongoing, but mice induced to increase production of this protein have been found to develop inflammation, and psoriasis patients at University Hospitals have been shown to have higher amounts of the molecule.

With multiple ongoing projects, the next five years will hold many challenges for Ward’s research. The pressure is there.

But, given the experiences Ward faced in her career leading up to this point, she knows she will take it in stride. “[You just have to] move from one failure to the next with some level of enthusiasm,” she said.

Students to shack up for Habitat for Humanity

Cardboard structure building contest to take place tonight on Van Horn field Brian Sherman Staff Reporter Students of Case Western Reserve University have long known the comfort of life in residence halls. However, this evening at 7 p.m., students will have the opportunity to look at this from a different perspective, thanks to the efforts of CWRU’s Habitat for Humanity. The group will be hosting its signature event “Let’s Shack Up” where students can build shelters all over Van Horn field out of just cardboard, duct tape, and whatever else they wish to bring.

Habitat for Humanity puts on this event annually, which many residential life and Greek life organizations attend. Some

of last year’s notable entries were Cutler House’s third floor team, who constructed a shelter resembling the house from the movie “Up”, and the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, who built a cardboard castle complete with a drawbridge.

At the event, students are provided with a huge pile of cardboard and several rolls of duct tape, all of which go flying once the participants start grabbing materials for their shelters. The students are then given a few hours to build their structures, after which they are judged by members of Habitat for Humanity. Prizes will be awarded to the most creative houses.

Throughout the event, students will be provided with entertainment from many

student organizations at CWRU, including the Case Juggling Club and IMPROVment. After the houses are judged, students are invited to stay as late as they desire, sleeping in their shelters.

This year is a bit different from last year, however, as Habitat for Humanity is partnering with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, who is running a Flag Football event concurrently with Let’s Shack Up. Discounted rates are available for teams and individuals who wish to participate in both events.

“We hoped that by bringing together the two events, we could boost the attendance at each one,” said Habitat for Humanity PR Chair Michael Young.

Let’s Shack Up is put on to raise money for the Greater Cleveland branch of Habitat for Humanity, which works in communities to help build homes for those who have none. In addition to donating money, the event is put on to give students a representation of the type of work that Habitat for Humanity does in the community.

“We hope to provide the students with an opportunity to see what it is that Habitat for Humanity does for the communities it works in,” said Young.

Though it is the largest event run by Habitat for Humanity, Let’s Shack Up is not the only one. Habitat for Humanity at CWRU also runs Crush for Crush and an awareness week.

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Outside the Circle A look at news outside of Case Western Reserve

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International

What in the world?

1. New Van Gogh painting found

3. Newlywed pushes husband of eight days off cliff

A new painting by Vincent Van Gogh, who was not well-renowned when he was alive, was discovered in a Norwegian attic.

Named ‘Sunset at Montmajour’, this painting is the first to be found since 1928.

‘Sunset at Montmajour’ was originally not given much attention, since many did not consider it authentic from the fact that it was not signed. However, with modern technology and research into Van Gogh’s style and technique, it has been confirmed

Jordan Linn Graham faces up to life in prison if found guilty of her charge of second-degree murder of her husband, Cody L. Johnson.

The couple, who had been arguing and fighting, went hiking to Glacier National Park in Flathead County, Montana. Text records have shown that Graham was tex-

that this is an original Van Gogh work.

The painting has even been traced back to an exact date: July 4, 1888, from a letter that Van Gogh had written to his brother Theo.

Depicting a scene from the landscape of the Arles, where Van Gogh was speculated to be, in the south of France, ‘Sunset at Montmajour’ has bushes, trees, and similar painting style as seen in Van Gogh’s many other famous works.

2. Tokyo announced to host the 2020 Summer Olympics The International Olympic Committee has announced that Tokyo has officially won the bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

Istanbul and Madrid were among the two other candidates.

Winning this bid could be monumental for Japan. This proved true when the summer Olympics were hosted in Tokyo in 1964. Recovering from the carnage of

World War II, the Olympics gave an immense resurrection and recovery to their failing country. The 2020 Summer Olympics could mean the same situation: the 2011 earthquake and tsunami cost over 19,000 lives in people dead or missing.

The Japanese government has budgeted 400 billion yen (~4,000,000 USD) for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

ting a friend about having second thoughts and being unsure about the marriage. According to Graham, as they were disputing, her husband grabbed her, causing her to be even more enraged, and she therefore pushed him with both hands back when he fell off the cliff face first. His body has been retrieved.

4. Feud continues over Gibraltar’s concrete blocks The Spanish Foreign Minister announced last week that he might attempt to lodge a complaint with the United Nations concerning the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.

The dispute, already involving European Union mediators, kindled in July after Gibraltar began expanding an artificial reef consisting of concrete blocks off its coast.

Spain complained that the reefs interfered with the local fishing industry and were placed outside of British territory.

The feud continued to escalate through

the summer, with the Spanish implementing thorough border checks and the British dispatching warships to the port.

Gibraltar, a 2.6 square mile rocky outcropping strategically located at the entrance to the Mediterranean, was ceded to Britain 300 years ago after the Treaty of Utrecht. The rock has been a source of conflict and a thorn in Spain’s side since.

Recent resentment can be traced to Gibraltar’s rapidly growing economy, which contrasts sharply with Spain’s shrinking economy and debt crisis.

Reporting by Tara Tran and Mark Patteson

On the Beat So hopefully this is the time of year when people are starting to settle into their differing routines. You’ve figured out the last possible second you can wake up and still make to class in appropriate clothing, after extensive negotiation and mediation on all roommate disputes and vital issues such as music choices and window open or closed. You know where all your classes are so time spent wandering in circles has been greatly reduced, and so on.

Unfortunately we at CWRU Police Department have also settled into our fall routine of taking theft reports from students.

While we are not in the midst of a crime wave, some familiar patterns are starting to emerge, so here are some tips to avoid becoming part of the pattern.

The first tip is a combination of keep an eye on your stuff, followed by keep an eye

police blotter on your stuff, or in other words don’t leave valuables unattended. Don’t take wallets/ purses with credit cards or cash to athletic areas unless you have a place to secure them-leaving them off to the side is not a good idea.

Don’t leave cell phones or laptops unattended, especially in common areas like lounges, lobbies or eating spaces. Thieves love the anonymity of a crowd and those types of places are usually full of crowds.

Don’t fall victim to the “I only left it for a minute…” syndrome as it usually takes substantially less than a minute to grab and make off with an unattended item.

Laptops, cell phones and tablets tend to be prime targets as they are easily resold, but thieves aren’t above taking a whole unattended backpack in the hopes that it contains something besides your moldy lunch.

And if it happens to contain your valuable research that you haven’t gotten around to backing up yet— oops!

Finally, when leaving your room or apartment, lock the door (and windows if you are on the ground floor) and always lock your bike up when your posterior is not on the seat. An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure-or police reports.

9/2/13 to 9/7/13 9/2-Criminal damage- Car windows smashed, 11402 Bellflower Road.

9/4- Petty theft-Items taken from unattended purse, Cutter House 9/5- Felony theft- Unattended wallet taken, Veale Center.

On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko & Officer Mark (The Crossing Guard) Chavis of CWRU PD. Send feedback to this or other columns at policecolumn@case.edu.

9/7- Bicycle theft-North Residential Village # 4

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observer.case.edu from Brown | 1 government medicine while stating that they do not support expanding Medicare.

Brown called acts like these “morally reprehensible.”

A hot topic on the table lately, potential war with Syria, was brought up next.

The question concerned the legitimacy of U.S, international and statutory law in sending a military strike to Syria.

The senator’s first comment was that the president could choose to enter Syria without the approval or even vote of Congress. Brown believed that President Obama had some good, but not all good reasons for waiting for Congress to reconvene and vote.

Brown stated the possibility that Obama wanted a legitimate reason to delay an airstrike for two weeks. Discussing the chemical weapons use itself, Brown said that we can be as close as possible to 100 percent sure this happened, but the inability to be 100 percent is worrying. In regards to his own vote, Brown claimed to be undecided, both professionally and personally.

A later question on Syria was about the issue of sarin ingredients allegedly being given to Syria initially from Russia, China and North Korea. The senator said that the questions of where and

Courtesy CWRU School of Law Senator Sherrod Brown speaks to students at the law school last Monday. how Syria got sarin, as well as how long they’ve had it and who helped them in the process, are very significant. He called the role of Vladimir Putin in the situation “troubling.”

Several questions were asked regarding citizen displeasure with the government.

Brown was asked about frustration in the business, low Congressional approval and the “brokenness” of Washington. He stated

that his personal big issue was the lack of communicability between the legislators at the top and the rural, non-union working class individuals that are more and more becoming conservators.

He did address some of this with the fact that people don’t see everything going on in government. He said that while Washington is broken, Congress is working under the radar and making improvements all the time.

An issue that Senator Brown has personally made great efforts toward, the public health epidemic concerning drug use, was addressed, with the question: what can we do?

He separated the problem into illegal drug use and prescription drug abuse. Regarding illegal drugs, he said flat out that prison doesn’t help, as it just costs money and ruins lives. Brown said that not enough has been done yet to combat the abuse of prescription drugs. He suggested a state registry for drugs, and a Medicaid lock-in, where patients would be restricted to one physician and one pharmacist, so as to end doctor-shopping.

After about an hour of story-sharing and deep issue discussion, Senator Brown ended on a note of the troubling situation in Syria. He amiably thanked the room for being there and for providing discussion questions.

Case for Community Day registration open through Sept. 20 Mark Patteson Contributing Reporter Online registration for Case for Community Day continues through this week until Friday, Sept. 20. The annual event, taking place Friday, Oct. 4, brings together a diverse swath of the university community— students, staff, faculty, alumni and others— to participate in a wide range of service and charity activities for the Cleveland area.

Over 35 projects have been scheduled this year, including landscaping, teaching at local schools and a community health fair.

Slots for some events have already filled up, so interested volunteers are encouraged to register sooner rather than later.

Latisha James, Director for the Center for Community Partnerships and one of the event’s organizers, stressed the importance of planning ahead when registering to avoid last-minute cancellations. Before registering, students should ensure that they have no schedule conflicts and check with professors if they plan to miss class.

Created in 2002, Case for Community Day provides an opportunity for members of the Case campus to connect with each other and the Greater Cleveland area in an afternoon of service. Since its inception, over 4,000 volunteers have contributed more than 10,000 hours on 500 community-oriented projects.

Beyond serving the community, Case for Community Day also intends to foster better work environment and togetherness on campus by providing an opportunity for people with a variety of positions to interact outside their routine. Many volunteers also come back on their own and continue to work for the institutions, nonprofits or communities which participate in the event. “It is a great way to meet people across campus and build new relationships,” James said.

However, James also emphasized the importance of students making a serious commitment when registering. In previous years, some events went understaffed when students found conflicts too late, cancelling the day before or simply not showing up.

Courtesy Latisha James A participant in last year’s Case for Community Day serves at one of the project sites. Over 35 projects have been scheduled for this year.

Bon Appétit donates $50,000 to the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center Julia Bianco Staff Reporter

Mary Kate Macedonia/Observer Bon Appétit Management Company recently donated $50,000 to the construction of the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center. The contribution will go towards building of the Bon Appétit Plaza, set to be located on the second floor.

This August, Bon Appétit Management Company, who services most of Case Western Reserve University’s dining facilities, donated $50,000 to the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center.

The Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center will be a 24,000 square foot workout center that will be located in the North Residential Village.

Although nearly 70 percent of CWRU undergraduates live in the North Residential Village, the only workout facility currently available for them is the small gym in the Village at 115. This gym only has eight weight machines and eight cardio machines, and it is not meant to accommodate the large amount of students who live on the North side of campus.

The new Center will feature two floors of workout space, including the Steve Belichick Varsity Weight Room, the Coach

Bill Sudeck Track, a cardio room and a Varsity Club lounge. It will also have a 4,500 square foot study lounge, as well as meeting rooms, lockers and medical facilities.

Bon Appétit’s donation, which is part of the $8 million needed to build the center, will go towards building the Bon Appétit Plaza, which will be on the second floor of the facility.

The rest of the money for the center came from major donor James C. Wyant, PhD, who contributed $4 million to the project, and from a number of smaller donations.

Construction on the center will begin in October 2013 and it is expected to be completed in winter 2014.

“I think that Bon Appétit has a really strong partnership with the campus community,” noted Beth Kretschmar, the Marketing Manager for Bon Appétit.

“Anything that we can do to improve the campus experience is going to be something that we are interested in,” continued Kretschmar.

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RHA Election Results Voting for Residential Housing Association positions ended last week. Offices that were unfilled as of press time are noted, but should be filled by Saturday after this week’s council meetings. Positions that were elected last spring are indicated with asteriks.

Magnolia Roster 2013-2014 President: Brittany Chung* VP: Ben Marks* House Rep - Clarke: Brian Sherman House Rep - Clarke: Hyun Lee Hous Rep - Cutler: Roshan Daran Social Coordinator: Rebecca Haluska Public Relations: Position unfilled Advocate: Position unfilled Historian: Position unfilled Treasurer: Fanxin (Amy) Shen Secretary: Erin Collard Community Service: Sung Un (Nicole) Park Sustainability: Position unfilled Tradition: Seung (Angela) Lee Advisor Sarah Hyde-Pinner RA Liaison: Stephanie Chen RA Liaison: Brandon Bachar Exec Liaison at large: Victoria Robinson

Carlton Roster 2013-2014 President: Krishna Mahadevan* Vice President: Marcel Youkhana* House Rep - Glaser: Sapna Shah House Rep - Kusch: Blake Tudela House Reps - Michelson: Tim Flinn and Andrew Hodowanec Social Coordinator: Luchang Zhang Public Relations: Jane Lu Advocate: Christopher Nguyen Historian: Dwayne Coleman Treasurer: Deep Gandhi Secretary: Nicholas Poe Community Service: Vivian Chen Sustainability: Hasaan Majeed

Murray Hill Roster 2013-2014 President: Lauren Rovner* VP: Clark Taylor* House Rep - Alumni: Tianbi Duan House Rep - Howe: Angela Huidekoper House Rep - Staley: Mary Hazlett House Rep - Tippit: Erik Hlosek Social Coordinator: Jeremy Griffith Public Relations: Taylor Nguyen Advocate: Megan Zangara Historian: Alannah Kennedy Treasurer: Robert Carrier Secretary: Freda Li Community Service: Qi Yu Sustainability: Kaiyu Shi

Cedar Roster 2013-2014

Mistletoe Roster 2013-2014

President: Daniel Wade VP - Smith: Allison Cornelius VP - Taft: Claire Sparks VP - Tyler: Kushagra Gupta Social Coordinator: Sophia Senderak Public Relations: Victoria Schlamb Advocate: Jeffrey Sagerer Historian: Zachary Williams Treasurer: Sung Sim Secretary: Arjun Gopinath Community Service: Emily Peterson Sustainability: Louis Jin Arts Rep : Caroline Canale

President: Dana Williams VP - Hitchcock: Noah Bokansky VP - Pierce: Wesley Maddox VP - Storrs: Shannon Chua Social Coordinator: Nia Forbes Public Relations: Andrea Lau Advocate: Nikhil Mysore Historian: Shuying (Sherry) Huang Treasurer: Precious Adeleye Secretary: Pranoti Pradhan Community Service: Katie Lum Sustainability: Allen Lim Leadership Rep: Fred Daum

Juniper Roster 2013-2014 President: John O'Hagan VP - Norton: Sindhuja Tatagari VP - Sherman: Selvaanish Selvam VP - Raymond: Radhika Maheshwari Social Coordinator: Rohan Verma Public Relations: Hanno Fenech Advocate: Sarika Uppaluri Historian: Position unfilled Treasurer: Tejas Joshi Secretary: Ilakkiya Thanigaivelan Community Service: Position unfilled Sustainability: Position unfilled Multicultural: Audrey Higgins

UCCC Roster 2013-2014 President: Position unfilled VP: Jennifer Rosen* House 1 Rep: Alyssa Daniels House 2 Rep: Position unfilled House 3 Rep: Neha Desai House 4 Rep: Position unfilled House 5 Rep: Chris Herbst House 6 Rep: Position unfilled House 7 Rep: Position unfilled PMA Rep: Position unfilled Triangle Rep: Position unfilled Social Coordinator: Susan Oo Public Relations:Position unfilled Advocate: Heewon Choi Historian: Nabeel Mallick Treasurer: David Jannotta Secretary: Srikanth Gowda Community Service: Sustainability: Position unfilled

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GE Day on the Quad September 18 at Case Quad (rain site Hovorka Atrium) from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.

Bring a resume and join the GE recruiting team for food & prizes.

All majors - intern/co-op, full-time.

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Sudoku

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Annuls 6. Website addresses 10. Faucets 14. Cancel 15. A noble gas 16. Test 17. French school 18. Color of the sky 19. Liturgy 20. Incense 22. Train track 23. Journey 24. Fanatic 26. Plateau 30. Commercials 31. And so forth 32. Astringent 33. Killed 35. Encrypted 39. Sea cow 41. It holds cigarette debris 43. Slant 44. Information 46. Ripped 47. Petrol 49. Confederate soldier

50. Church alcove 51. Horrified 54. Stepped 56. A formal high school dance 57. Blue blood 63. Emanation 64. Very 65. Pee 66. 1/100th of a dollar 67. Small island 68. Castrated male chicken 69. If not 70. Outbuilding 71. Make improvements Down 1. Sheltered spot 2. Chalcedony 3. Ancient Perudvian 4. Membership fees 5. Napped 6. Unrestrained 7. Get worse 8. Boor 9. Allergic reaction 10. Hard unglazed brownish-red earthen-

ware 11. Lengthways 12. Terrace 13. Refine metal 21. Delete 25. Carve in stone 26. Mother 27. Distinctive flair 28. Vocalized musically 29. Combine together 34. Catchment area 36. Let go 37. Hearing organs 38. Unit of force 40. Orange pekoe 42. Wooden shoe 45. Nonfiction 48. Stoppage 51. Quickly 52. A thin porridge 53. Brass musical instruments 55. Pleasant 58. Hurry 59. Study hard 60. Fully developed 61. Nameless 62. Care for

Wordsearch

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Philosofish

Kate Hart Ray Krajci

Senior year's great and all, but what the heck am I going to do when I get out of college?

abuse almond alone always arboreal blame body cache canon carob chain doctors dryer duct essay expand fiscal hoard hone horn

insult lean management monograph near regale remedy shout shrill soprano stake thesis tight treadle twice unique vault walnut wane wheel

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9/13/13

Crossword Puzzle 47. Family 48. Unadulterated 49. Designation 56. Therefore 57. Oversupply 58. Very slow in tempo 59. Brother of Jacob 60. Lean 61. Attempted 62. Focusing glass 63. Sacred 64. Affirmatives Down 1. Arab chieftain 2. Small European freshwater fish 3. Well-behaved 4. Sea eagle 5. Throw out 6. Style 7. Region 8. Enumerate 9. A star-shaped character 10. Something that cannot be done 11. Ecru

12. Unreactive 13. Certain 21. Eccentric 25. S 26. Does something 27. Flutter 28. Central points 29. Offensive 30. Beg 31. Bobbin 33. Color of the sky 34. Tidy 35. Stare 36. Sun 38. Physical energy 41. 3 in Roman numerals 42. Punishment 44. Can 45. An exchange 46. Keyboard instrument 47. Pussycat 48. Rind 50. Hodgepodge 51. Think (over) 52. Container weight 53. Colored part of an eye 54. Curved molding 55. Gestures of assent

xkcd

Across 1. Nosed (out) 6. Big party 10. Nile bird 14. New Zealand native 15. Twin sister of Ares 16. List of options 17. Graphic symbols 18. Where a bird lives 19. Jetty 20. Re-beautify 22. Monster 23. Citrus drink 24. Adjust again 26. Be able to spare 30. One who is excessively proper 32. Cirrus or cumulus 33. Rewards 37. Diplomacy 38. Streamlined 39. Rhythm 40. Religious 42. Town square 43. Broadcast 44. Move unsteadily 45. An unidentified aircraft

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Walking down Cornell, you may experience an odd interaction with someone you haven’t seen in years.

Ride the wave of awkward and get to where you’re headed; you’ll forget about it by nightfall.

Head to the doctor soon, because you’ve probably been postponing that for quite a while. You’ll be fine, just look out for your health this week.

This week, keep your Friday night plans on the brain. You deserve to have a break that’s longer than 10 minutes. You Weekend Warrior, you.

Step out of your comfort zone. Like, seriously though: it’s getting stuffy on campus and you should really get some fresh air.

Leo

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

You may be getting a little too friendly with Kelvin Smith (Library). Girls and guys are getting jealous.

BuzzFeed will send you on a journey of every list you wish you found ages ago.

Only choose the top three to post on Facebook.

After being a task on the bottom of your to-do list since God knows when, you’ll finally have to cave and do your laundry.

Batten down the hatches.

For real, you’re not going to like what’s coming for you on Wednesday.

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

You planned on knitting hats and scarves to gift all your friends at Christmas, didn’t you? Think again.

Despite inadequate reasons for invading Syria, you’ll charge right through the week like a drone on a mission. Make sure you’ve got your eyes on the right prize, or else you’ll spin into a never-ending cycle of congressional hearings.

Congratulations, you share the same sign as Taylor Lautner. You forgot he existed once Twilight movies finally stopped getting attention. It’s all right, we forgot too.

Try walking in someone else’s shoes this week, but make sure your new friend isn’t duck-footed.

arts & entertainment

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Charlotte Palmer/Observer The guitarist of Wingtones began the daylong music festival around 1 p.m. on Sept. 8. Among other antics, Wingtones’ mascot Wingzilla graced the stage.

Studio-A-Rama draws music fans far and wide Anne Nickoloff Staff Reporter Studio-A-Rama isn’t a typical kind of concert for Case Western Reserve University.

Spot Nights, the Homecoming concert and Springfest have all delved into pop, folk or rap and all of them have had fluctuating attendees (dependent on the genre), but Studio-A-Rama’s devoted fanbase has punk and rock lovers flocking to Mather Memorial courtyard every year.

CWRU alumni Arber Chang was involved with WRUW 91.1 FM, CWRU’S campus radio station, while he studied at Case. “Studio-A-Rama is something that everyone at the radio station looks forward to every year,” he said.

According to Chang, the live music outside of Mather Memorial courtyard is “lowkey and less hectic than a typical Case concert.”

Current CWRU student Melekte Melaku agrees. “There’s so much space for everyone to chill out or dance.”

Mather Memorial’s courtyard is usually just an empty grassy square, but every year, Studio-A-Rama’s host WRUW 91.1 FM brings everything needed for a festival, including a small stage, a fenced perimeter and a WRUW booth to recognize CWRU’s

campus radio station. This year, Fired Up Taco Truck even made an extended appearance near the edge of the fences.

“People are ordering a lot of food,” said truck worker Dan Tamayo. “It’s a good factor being here.”

Crowd members came and went throughout the 12-hour daylong local music festival, many of them not even students at CWRU. Officer Tolliver, there to ensure safety at the event, said that Studio-A-Rama is “a different environment. It’s cool, it really is.”

“It’s a lot of different cultures,” he said.

“A lot of different cultures.”

Tolliver got just as excited as the audience for different performers. “They should let me up there to play the drums!” he said, tapping out imaginary drum beats in the air during Obnox’s heavy-rock performance.

A few standout performances included opener Wingtones, Tuk Peenersen & His Weinermen, Blaka Watra, Mirrors and headliner Mikal Cronin.

Wingtones rolled off the day at 1 p.m., with lyrical themes that centered around chicken wings. Yes… chicken wings.

However, that wasn’t the strangest part to many of the audience members; CWRU alumni Andy Zolyak thought the weirdest aspect was Wingzilla, the mascot for Wingtones. “It was this guy in a chicken

suit,” said Zolyak. “It was pretty amusing.”

With a name like Tuk Peenersen & His Weinermen, it was clear that this performer was not a conventional kind of band. Their angry, grungy garage music was loud, indistinct and fuzzy. Lead female vocals were a little hidden under the noisy tunes.

But.. Tuk Peenersen & His Weinermen… that name!

Blaka Watra was a little less punky than some of the other performers with their smoother beat and emphasized vocal harmony. This more alternative band brought a calmer style to Studio-A-Rama’s lineup and a well-appreciated break from some of the heavier music.

In sharp contrast to that lighter, calmer alternative-styled music, Mirrors got up on stage with a seven-man set, rocking out their heavy punk signature style.

The scratchy singing and yelling into the microphone reverberated off the courtyard, creating a loud chamber of punk that was broken up by bits of audience interaction, usually centered on weed or drugs.

Their second song, “Jaguar Ride,” carried a Californy guitar melody, but fell apart a couple of times and was a bit out of tune. The cohesiveness of the band was questionable, and this kind of thing happened during a few of their songs.

However, unlike some of the earlier performers at Studio-A, Mirrors had an

excuse: it was their first time playing on the Mather Memorial stage in 38 years.

The band had broken apart long ago, and reunited for another performance at this year’s Studio-A-Rama.

A few missed notes from their old songs were forgiven, and it didn’t stop the audience from getting into their music.

They left the stage saying, “We’ll see you again in 38 years!”

A noticeable influx of people had flowed into the gate during Mirrors, and that pattern continued directly before Mikal Cronin took the stage. Matt Cuiffo, along with several other dog-walkers, strolled into the area with a pup on a lease. “It’s sweet that they let them in,” he said, looking down at his dog. “I didn’t think they would, but they didn’t care.”

When Cronin started performing, he had quite an array of people in his audience.

Most bobbed their heads to the music, taking it in passively. However, CWRU student and WRUW show host Julian Potter was excitedly dancing to the music towards the back of the crowd, singing along to every song and throwing his fists in the air. “This was my summer album!” he exclaimed.

The courtyard created heightened volume for most of the heavier rock

to Studio 12

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The last three episodes of the hit television series ‘Breaking Bad’ will air on AMC (Channel 11.4) every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m.

Courtesy imgbase.info

SPOILER: Breaking Bad’s last four episodes Lily Korte Staff Reporter As cliché as it sounds, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who are sick to death of hearing about “Breaking Bad,” and those who think the recent bombardment of media coverage still isn’t enough to answer all the lingering questions that remain about the show.

Of course, even amongst the show’s fans there are an infinite number of subgroups: those who want Walter White to face justice, those who want Walt to get away with it, those who don’t care what happens so long as Jesse doesn’t die, etc.

For a show that started off as practically a dark comedy, things only got darker and more dangerous as Walt got more and more embroiled in the criminal world, more concerned with power and money than his initial alleged motive of “helping” his family. Indeed, it’s still difficult when watching the most recent episodes to remember that all of the show’s action takes place essentially within the span of a year.

(It goes without saying that the rest of this article will contain massive spoilers for all episodes of “Breaking Bad” that have aired so far.)

Few things can be more stressful to the audience than seeing what looks like a clear-cut ending arise when plenty of story obviously remains, be it the middle

of a book, the middle of a movie or the middle of a television series or individual episode of a tv show. It’s why “Law & Order” never made for particularly nailbiting drama— if a likely suspect seemed guaranteed to be behind bars within the first 20 minutes, the viewer always knew more twists would inevitably come to fill the remainder of the hour.

Now that “Breaking Bad” is down to its final three episodes, time is rapidly running out, but three hours is more than enough time for Walt’s much-awaited arrest to lead to several more plot zigs and zags. Sunday’s episode pulled the old trick of ending on a cliffhanger (and what a cliffhanger!), but even more perilous to ponder are the tantalizing glimpses into the future than opened both the first and second halves of the show’s final season.

We know that no matter what happens in the current shootout, Walt will manage to survive long enough to regrow his hair, get a new identity, have a birthday breakfast at Denny’s, and then come storming back to his old house with a massive gun in the trunk of his car.

Much of season five has been relatively low on tension because compared to the earlier seasons, Walt’s business and personal life seemed to have finally overcome all threats; he had a business field almost totally devoid of serious competition, he literally had more money than he could even store and all those with the power or motivation to kill him or harm him were largely dead

the

themselves.

There were always two ticking time bombs in the persons of Jesse Pinkman and Hank Schrader though, dangerous because of their closeness to Walt, yet also protected by that same closeness.

Hank’s dogged determination to pursue “Heisenberg” at all costs may initially seem to have sealed Walt’s fate, but the real catalyst for his capture is Jesse. That Jesse would be the one to lead the police to his former boss (not to mention former chemistry teacher) seems inevitable; that the egomaniacal Walt would choose to view this as the ultimate betrayal seems inevitable as well.

The relationship between the two of them is necessarily a complicated one, yet for as much as Walt took Jesse for granted and manipulated him over the course of the show, it’s telling that he still cannot bring himself to personally kill him, and could only bring himself to ask others to kill him after his wife forced the idea upon him (following Jesse’s threatened attempt to burn their house down, of course).

Walt’s relationship with Jesse also contrasts starkly with his relationship with Todd, the boy hired to replace him and the eventual meth cook running Walt’s former empire. Simply put, Todd is no Jesse. Where Jesse’s concern for the well-being of children caught in the crossfire of the drug trade always humanized his actions, Todd had no compunction about shooting a boy on a

bike simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

While Jesse usually had the ability to cook meth at a level surpassed only

by Walt himself, Todd struggles to even cook it well enough to generate the characteristic blue color that has become the Walter White “brand” and indicator of quality. And while Jesse’s loyalty to his bosses, friends and coworkers has always made him a valuable asset to them, Todd seems to have no problem with killing anybody he’s told to kill by anybody else, provided there’s something in it for him.

(Probably also relevant is the fact that Jesse’s family members aren’t members of a murderous white supremacist gang!)

Had Walt not constantly taken Jesse for granted, he wouldn’t have had to ask Todd and his family to kill him, and the entire situation that the episode ended on would’ve been avoided. As it stands though, all the audience can do is speculate about what happens next until the final episodes themselves actually air.

For all those who have been living under a rock the past couple years but who still want to get caught up with the show by the time it ends, the first four seasons are available streaming on Netflix, while the first half of the final season is available on DVD. All the episodes of the second half of the final season that have aired so far are available to stream on the AMC website, but only if you have authorizing information from your cable provider.

Want to write for Arts and Entertainment?

Email kew41@case.edu

Observer

@CWRUObserver

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a&e 11

observer.case.edu Editor’s Choice

For once, it’s not all about the food Maureen O’Reilly Staff Reporter This week marks the beginning of the 2013 Cleveland Italian Film Festival. Although food will be used as a fundraiser, it will take the backseat to other distinguished aspects of Italian culture.

At the helm of the festival is Joyce Mariani, a film enthusiast who started the first independent film festival in Northeast Ohio. Seven years ago, Mariani embarked on a journey, one that she said she was glad she entered blind. It was one of those things, Mariani said, that if she knew what the undertaking would be to found a professional, independent film festival, she may not have attempted it. A selfdescribed quick learner, Mariani has mastered the logistics, from tracking down film distributors, to getting local sponsors and, of course, screening the films beforehand.

Italy, Mariani says, is a “Western country that has given a lot [to culture]”.

In America, she feels that cuisine and a sociable dinner table overshadow Italian contributions to modern culture. The Italian Renaissance cemented Italy as a country with significant contributions to science, math, architecture, fine arts and

music—contributions which continue to shape our global society today. “Culture is a luxury,” Mariani says, “I tell my friends, culture isn’t only cannoli and it isn’t only a pizza pie.”

This film festival is not revolutionizing Italian culture in Cleveland. Instead, it’s jogging Cleveland’s memory of Italian influence. Back in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Cleveland Opera Company brought the Italian art form to those who could afford it. After a hiatus, the Cleveland Opera opened in 1976. For the past five summers, the Italian Cultural Garden Foundation sponsors a night of opera in the Italian Cultural Garden. Mariani has a hand in this too; she is the Italian Garden Foundation director.

Following this city’s tradition, the Cleveland Italian Film Festival is selective. “I don’t just take films that win awards,” Mariani says. It’s not that Oscars—either American or Italian— aren’t good enough. The purpose is for the audience to lose themselves in a good story. Likely, the story will be a funny one, as “Italian actors have a knack for comedy.”

This year, moviegoers will be treated to four unique films. Opening the festival at Cedar and Lee Theater is “Nessuno Mi Puo Guidicare” (Escort in Love). Shot in Rome, this film

details a widowed housewife’s change in profession to support her young son. Also at Cedar and Lee is “Si Puo Fare” (We Can Do That), a comedy about a trade unionist whose new job entitles working with former patients thrown out of area mental hospitals.

This year, the festival will be hosting the Cleveland premier of “The Missing Piece,” a film shot all over the world.

This film, to be shown at Atlas Cinema, is a mystery based on a true story of the man who stole the Mona Lisa in the early 1900s. Wrapping up the festival at Capitol Theater is “Pane e Cioccolata” (Bread and Chocolate), which stars Nino Manfredi as an Italian immigrant working in Switzerland who encounters a number of strange situations. All films have pre-parties at sponsoring restaurants.

Around campus, there is excitement for the festival. Carson Dorsey, a fourthyear soprano at CIM, is in her second year of studying Italian at Case. In her travels to Italy, Dorsey remembers people from Milan lamenting Italian stereotypes in the US. “The Italian stereotype in the US is mostly of Sicily,” she says, citing a large influx of Sicilian immigrants to America.

Denise Caterinacci, the section head of Italian in the Department of Modern

Language, agrees. “There are long histories behind different regions,” with dialects from places like Milan and Naples so different, they’re almost like separate languages.

The films shown at the Cleveland Italian Film Festival have the opportunity to be a window into regional history. For a Roman film like “Nessuno Mi Puo Giudicare”, Caterinacci says, “[The film is not showing] what it’s like to live in Rome, but about being a Roman,” emphasizing the tradition of a specific lifestyle.

Film is an opportunity to show the elements of being Italian, Caterinacci adds, whether these elements be enduring themes that are cross cultural, or even aspects of lifestyle that may be obsolete due to advances in technology or globalization. “[Film] is an opportunity to glimpse into the past, a [topic for] exchange in the present and a window into the direction of the future,” Caterinacci states. She recommends going in open minded, to learn something about the culture.

“In the world we live in, of technology, we look for the fifteensecond sound byte,” Mariani says, but the festival is a time to step outside of the capsule of food stereotypes and get lost in a delicious story.

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The Digs of “Dag” Allison Duchin Staff Reporter Leutner’s lawn on Saturday afternoons is unlike any other day of the week. Case Western Reserve’s Dag members come out and practice. Some people come out in t-shirts and shorts, but others go to practice in true cosplay form, wearing interesting and often intricate outfits that represent their intended character; these outfits are truly unique and are only limited by one’s imagination.

As an unaware observer of the students outside Leutner on Saturday mornings, I mistakenly assumed what was going on was LARPing, or Live Action Role Playing. In reality, however, live action role playing and Dagorhir, or “Dag,” are two completely different activities; they’re often confused due to their

common use of cosplay, the act of playing some simulation while in costume. In live action role playing, all involved must adhere to some plot, whereas in “Dag” the main goal is direct combat, as was explained by experienced student of larping and first year member of Case Western Reserve’s Dagorhir team, Diana Sucio.

Sucio explained that she originally got introduced to live action role playing and Dagorhir after experiencing cosplay for five years prior. With all of her experience with cosplay Sucio strives for accuracy when she decides to dress up.

What do the different costumes mean?

Do they mean anything, or are they simply preference? For the most part the costume choices are preferential, however, at any official tournaments, they are required.

The official medieval clothing is not very limiting as it only has to pertain to that

Mighty Spot Night Anne Nickoloff Staff Reporter The few Spot Night shows I attended last year were either under-attended, or completely overfilled.

However, due to several changes to the weekly concert series, it has already gained a greater following this school year, attracting crowds that have consistently filled The Spot. Case Western Reserve University’s music scene is abuzz, and a big part of that energy has to do with Spot Night.

The event, which used to be on Wednesday nights, is now more accessible with its post-hump daytime slot (Thursdays at 9 p.m.). Also a good note: the bands so far have had varied styles, with alternative, folk and rock genres already making an appearance.

A lot of people think that it’s always local bands that play at Spot Nights, with not-so-great live music. Those people would be incorrect.

American Authors played the first Spot Night this year with an excited pop rock style that was very successful with the crowd. This band is not what you would call local. Recently, American Authors played on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” after their Spot Night performance.

The following week, The Mowgli’s hopped up on stage and drew in a line of students waiting to get in. Though The Mowgli’s are not the most famous band in the world, their popularity has risen in the indie scene after performing at music festivals like Lollapalooza and Chipotle’s Cultivate Festival. Their single “San Francisco” reached 38th on Billboard’s Alternative Songs, and the crowd sang along to the single’s upbeat lyrics.

Humble Home didn’t have as much recognition as the preceding two, but supporting local bands has always been a tradition for Spot Nights. The band is working on a new album and playing folky live shows along the way; however, their popularity isn’t a big deal in terms of Spot Nights.

Look at it this way; Passion Pit is one of the more popular alternative bands in today’s world, with singles labelled as top tens. Passion Pit also performed at a Spot Night years ago, here at CWRU as a local band. Once a Spot Night performance, now a Homecoming Headliner whose songs peak the charts… It just goes to show that you never know which local bands performing on the tiny Spot Night stage are going to get big.

A weekly online-exclusive review of Spot Nights will be posted to observer. case.edu every Friday.

@CWRUObserver observer.case.edu f cwruobserver

the

Observer

time period, but it can be either a mystical character or something with some greater historical relevance. For people who consistently adhere to the official rules regarding dress codes, when one reaches a certain goal in “Dag” they can receive a symbol representing a greater status than they previously had.

Along with Diana Sucio, who during combat goes by the name “Elf,” David Grzybowski also is a Dagorhir member who chooses to dress up every time he practices. David’s combat name is “Roose”; he typically dresses up as a generic medieval fighter, whereas Diana, aka Elf, takes a more literal expression of her name as she sports not only medieval clothing, but her signature elf ears every Saturday. When asked if either Diana or David wear their “Dag” clothing outside of practice both enthusiastically responded yes; every Friday Diana wears

her elf ears and David can often be seen carrying his own sword (Styrofoam) around campus. Diana says her whimsical form of self-expression brightens up both her day and the days of those around her.

The many variations of cosplay verify the growth that this club has had over the past few years. Even if the growth in Dagorhir or live action role-playing cannot be directly seen in CWRU’s student population, the growth in the overall cosplay community is evident.

From the influence of videogames and comic-con conventions the reach has expanded to ever increasing proportions; the one Sucio attended back in her homestate of Connecticut has doubled in size during the past five years. Who knows, if the influence of cosplay continues on this exponential trend it is on, maybe sometime soon a representation of it will be walking down runways as well as Leutner’s lawn.

The Observer’s playlist of the week 09.13.13

Jason Walsh Staff Reporter

Oneohtrix Point Never “Zebra” Oneohtrix Point Never, aka experimental and electronic producer Daniel Lopatin, made a splash in 2011 with his album “Replica.” His new album “R Plus 7” is due out later this fall, and if “Zebra” is any indication, it should be great. “Zebra” goes in about seven directions over its seven minute runtime, with different synth and drum sounds coming and going all over the place but still somehow remaining cohesive and engaging.

The Blow - “From the Future” The Blow are a synth-pop duo from Portland who put out a great album in 2006 and pretty much disappeared since then. “From the Future” is the second single from their upcoming self-titled album, scheduled to be released Oct. 1. “From the Future” is a catchy pop song that ironically sounds a lot like The Blow of 2006, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Twin Shadow - “I’m On Fire”

Twin Shadow’s 2010 album “Forget” was excellent, his 2012 album “Confess” was a bit of a disappointment and his new cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” single “I’m On Fire” is fantastic. He warps it into a creepy synth jam (not that Springsteen’s isn’t already a little creepy) while keeping all the emotion of the original.

M.I.A. - “Come Walk With Me” “Come Walk With Me” is the latest single from M.I.A.’s upcoming album “Matangi.” The first single, “Bring the Noize,” was pretty excellent and “Come Walk With Me” is as well. It starts out as something of a sweet pop ballad for 90 seconds, and then transforms into a Diplo-esque banger. “Matangi” is due out Nov. 5.

Arcade Fire - “Reflektor” Indie stalwarts Arcade Fire have a new album due out in late October, and “Reflektor” is the first single.

They released an interactive video for it at 9 p.m. on Monday night, because apparently they are a big enough deal to release music videos at specific times.

from Studio 9 bands before Cronin, but the acoustics worked strangely well with his hazy, flowing music. The echoes the surrounding buildings created smoothed out some of his more faraway-styled songs, and increased tension by amplifying the volume during heavier songs too.

“Change” had elements of grunge and punk rock, but it also infused some soul.

Even though guitar strings broke towards the end of the set, it didn’t disgruntle the crowd or take more than a few minutes to repair.

His almost-perfect show had the audience abuzz. As the crowd filtered through gate entrances, many were noting

Cronin’s original style and performance.

Though Studio-A-Rama was only his second time performing in Cleveland, Cronin himself enjoyed the quirky outdoor venue.

“Hearing how it’s [Studio-A-Rama] been around is cool and awesome,” said Cronin. “After hearing the history behind the radio station and this even, I feel even more excited to be playing.”

Sprouting from indie roots himself, Cronin appreciates what Studio-A-Rama has to offer performing bands. “I think it’s amazing and awesome that WRUW gives the Cleveland bands the chance to play on the stage,” said Cronin.

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opinion

Editorial

Greek Life study rooms: An unfair benefit?

Anyone who ever attended a Greek life informational event probably remembers seeing numerous uplifting statistics about Greeks. They have better retention rates, they are more likely to be leaders on campus, they do a lot of service, or perhaps your favorite celebrity was a member of a Greek organization that we also have on campus. Most importantly, they statistically perform better academically than non-Greeks. In fact, one of the most important values Greek life wants to emphasize is aca demic excellence.

According to the website of the Office of Greek Life at CWRU, the Greek community offers plenty of resources for its members to exceed academically.

The list on the website includes “tutoring programs, time management workshops, chapter mentor programs, opportunities for scholarships and grants, Greek honor societies, chapter competitions, awards, and more.”

As it happens, the website fails to mention one aspect of Greek scholarship that may not be so well-known by non-Greek students. What is included in the ambiguous “and more” is the Greek scholarship room system.

In practice, this means that each fraternity and sorority has a room where their members can collect old tests, notes, textbooks and, in some cases, lab reports.

This way, any members of the group can get help for their studies by looking at the archives collected by members who were here years before them.

While recycling textbooks and notes is certainly not an issue, old tests and lab reports might become one. There are many grey areas that together call the fairness of the scholarship room system into fairness.

Lab reports belong in this grey area.

While one person might take a look at an old report just for formatting purposes, another person might copy the entire lab (and this has happened in the past). There is no way anyone can make sure that the lab reports are used just as reference.

The Academic Integrity Board (AIB) has not released an official policy that states whether or not lab reports are allowed in Greek scholarship rooms.

Another problem arises with the inconsistency between different professors’ exam return policies. Some professors are happy to show their students

their past exams and give them back.

Others keep their exams strictly to themselves and prohibit their distribution.

How can anyone be sure that the scholarship rooms include only the tests of those professors who do not mind if another student sees them?

One might argue that the scholarship system is the equivalent of two friends sharing an old test together. Yes, a member of a Greek organization can help his or her friends succeed in a class, and there is nothing wrong with that. But in many instances only a small, exclusive group of people have access to years’ worth of material, which makes the system unfair.

Currently, the Greek community at CWRU constitutes about 36 percent of the entire undergraduate student body.

The number of members in a fraternity averages out to 55 members, while sororities have 84 members on average. In a class of 200 students, the number of people belonging to a certain organization can be small, but big enough to allow them to have an unfair advantage with respect to the rest of the class. Not only can they look at the tests from the past year, but they can look at the tests from a decade ago. And who knows how often a professor might recycle his or her tests.

Extremely grey areas of academic honesty and professor-specific exam distribution policies make the scholarship room system a concerning area.

There should be an articulated guideline, either through the AIB or the Office of Greek Life, which explains what exactly defines wrongdoing in this situation. Some Greek organizations have established these kinds of rules already, but not all have.

Another alternative to consider would be a public test archive to which every CWRU student would have access. This kind of system is in place at some prestigious universities, such as Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Regardless of the vehicle, the university needs to ensure scholarship rooms are not abused and that no student has the upper hand in a class just because they happen to be Greek. Greek life can offer its members numerous benefits, but it should not offer its members questionable advantages in making academic achievements.

The editorial opinion takes a stand on a select campus issue that The Observer’s board of directors, the executive committee of the editorial board, considers relevant and consequently should be brought to the attention of the Case Western Reserve University community. The board consists of the executive editor and publisher, director of design, director of web and multimedia, director of print, director of business and marketing, and opinion editor. A member of the board meets with students, staff, faculty or any other persons who the board considers to be a subject matter expert. The board will then decide what stance to take on the issue, or if there are disagreements among the members, communicate them in the editorial. The meetings with interviewees occur off the record; no person will be directly quoted or referred to by their name. The editorial opinion does not in any way influence the work of the editors, reporters and staff of The Observer, nor does it represent the opinions of those interviewed for it.

Editor’s Note Pump up the volume You’ll see a lot of things on the typical walk to class, such as campus squirrels fighting, Officer Mark fist bumping pedestrians and prospective students looking lost. However, nothing defines that cross-campus trek more than that “typical Case student,” who can be observed walking with their eyes fixated on the ground and their back hunched over like a Himalayan mountain climber.

Too often Case Western Reserve University students choose to remain silent. It’s an unfortunate gene in the construct of our DNA as an institution; however, it was a stereotype that was broken this past week when Andrew Breland, author of “The Elephant in the Room,” penned his introductory column, “What your tour guide won’t tell you about Case Western Reserve.”

For the first time in my more than three year tenure with The Observer, I witnessed the undergraduate student body’s furnace come ablaze. Social media engagement and Web traffic surged. Several students submitted Letters to the Editor for inclusion. And university administrators contacted Breland and The Observer’s editorial board with requests for meetings to better understand the basis for his claims.

Contrary to what much of our audience may think, receiving an angry letter from a reader about their points of contention with an Opinion column isn’t a detrimental thing. In fact, it is encouraged. Whether a member of our audience concurs or opposes, the end result is the same: a student read what another student had to say and felt compelled to join the conversation.

This dialogue is critical; it is the reason The Observer exists and why its editorial board, as well as the writers, artists and photographers who contribute content, choose to spend their college careers filling printed pages and online postings. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be heard. But more importantly, they want someone to reply.

Our columnists views are only their own, and they do not represent the views of The Observer or Case Western Reserve. Columns are not edited for content by our editorial board;so, they remain the unfiltered thoughts of our contributors.

This week more than ever, I invite you to review the columns and letters to the editor that fill this section. Should you feel compelled to respond through your own submission, I encourage you to take that step.

After all, behind the typically quiet voices of our university’s students lie brilliant minds. We just need to pump up the volume.

Tyler E. Hoffman –EXECUTIVE EDITOR

the observer

established in 1968 by the undergradute students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher TYLER HOFFMAN director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE director of web & multimedia KYLE PATTERSON director of print SHEEHAN HANNAN director of business & marketing PETER CHOI assistant director of business & marketing COLE MORRIS ad manager CELIA TORRES account manager ERIC HAUFLER news layout MEILYN SYLVESTRE a&e layout AMBER ALBERGOTTIE sports layout HEATHER HARGROW opinion layout EDWIN LO distributors SAGE SCHAFF DANIEL DOHERTY photographers ANQI LI, AUSTIN STING

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The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting and/or involving students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 368-2914 or e-mail observerads@case.edu.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to 10900 Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. Letters need to include the writer’s full name, address, and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters from organizations must contain the name of an individual for contact purposes. Writings may be edited for clarity and brevity, and while The Observer makes an attempt to print all correspondence; space and date of publication are not guaranteed. Letters over 600 words may be returned to the sender. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

14 opinion

9/13/13

America scores:

Fostering poet-athletes Heather O’Keeffe We, the 4,000 or so undergraduate students at Case Western Reserve University, are unbelievably lucky. We are studying at a top-ranked university (we are currently ranked 37th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report), involved in diverse extracurricular activities and enjoying many gratifying experiences.

However, millions of adolescents across the country face slim chances of continuing their education beyond high school, much less attending a stellar school such as our own. This is far too often forgotten.

I am not the first to say that education is a problem in America and I certainly am not the first to volunteer my time for the sake of education. But maybe if I share my excitement to give back, others may feel inclined to do the same. And eventually adolescents from all walks of life will not take their solid education for granted.

Last semester I caught a ride home from a soccer referee clinic with a youth soccer coach from Euclid Heights. He told me about a program called America Scores, which visits inner city schools and combines soccer with writing. It immediately caught my interest. It is my lifelong goal to one day work for the Olympics – to use sport as a tool for human and global development. Thus, America Scores was right up my alley.

Last Monday was the first day of the 2013 fall season of the program. The participating kids, third through fifth grade, were all ready to start. The boys were talking to their coach about teammates who had moved and which schools they were going to beat, a preseason discussion any athlete is familiar with. One girl was already in her practice clothes with mini Air Jordans on and brightly colored polka dot socks pulled up to her knees. The third grade newbies asked questions in the long, roundabout way kids ask questions while the fifth grader returnees acted with a cool confidence as they recited the rules.

The energy the students have for playing soccer is funneled into becoming better students and community members.

Twice a week students must attend a writing session with their writing coaches and at the end the season their efforts are culminated in a poetry slam. Last year the partner schools performed a variety of team and individual poetry readings all in the effort to take home the coveted Golden Mic. Since both soccer and poetry are fundamental in America Scores, participants are referred to as poet-athletes.

The magic of the program is held within this straightforward, yet unconventional term. During Monday’s session the students were eager to begin a new season as poet-athletes and very much understood the importance of writing and soccer. While taking pride in being a poetathlete, students embraced discipline, teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, commitment and a love of learning.

America Scores has been so successful because of the combination of soccer and writing. The writing alone would not have the same effect because there is something so alluring and intoxicating about sports. They get you moving; are energizing; create instant bonds between fellow teammates and fans; give spectators and participants a huge sense of pride. They encourage expression and growth.

Recreational sports open the door to thousands of possibilities and are far more diverse than merely playing professionally. In my mind, sports are a perfect, if not the perfect, means to teach life skills and instill life lessons.

The poet-athletes I met Monday night were ready to play, write, and grow. I am ready to help them shoot and rhyme. Together the poet-athletes, coaches, America Scores and myself can put something we all love (soccer) to the service of something far more important: education.

Maybe soccer can aid in sparking a lust for lifelong learning and maybe one of these poet-athletes will be a member of the CWRU class of 2025. I believe in all of the above.

Heather O’Keeffe is a sophomore pursuing a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in sports medicine. This summer she sliced meat in a deli and developed a very defined watch tan.

Revolutionary microscopic pHotograpHy Aditya Rengaswamy Weird Science & Architecture As someone who enjoys dabbling in photography, albeit as an amateur, I have always been fascinated by microscopic imaging. Whether it is studying viruses attacking other cells or viewing microorganisms living on the earth, humanity takes pride in the ability to see and record some of the smallest interactions in our understandable world. Though this microscopic frontier is very popular in the medical and environmental fields, there is one field that people occasionally overlook – physics. Some of the greatest advancements and understandings of our universe have started from understanding the building blocks of atoms. We live in a world governed by many rules, including some of the more bizarre, such as quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics is a field that deals with atomic phenomena at molecular scales. Within this field, I am particularly fascinated by the electron. When I was younger, I was taught that electrons orbit in shells, residing in symmetrical patterns around a nucleus. As I took more advanced classes in high school, I was introduced to the idea of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This principle states that there is a limit to us knowing how fast a particle is moving and where it is at any given time. The idea that electrons are in orbital shells that offer a picture perfect view of atomic structures is simply wrong. Though the atomic structures and rings around them that hold electrons have a high probability of having electrons within them, a high probability does not equal certainty.

Therefore, it makes sense to question how we will ever truly see an electron with a microscope. If we have such difficulty in locating them and predicting where they are, how can we photograph them? Advances in science in the last five to ten years have brought innovative ways to do just this. Very recently, Aneta Stodolna, of the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF) in the Netherlands, and her colleagues have created an electronic microscope to capture a

hydrogen atom.

Stodolna fried the atom with pulsing lasers, which forced the ionized electron to escape from the hydrogen atom along various trajectories. The difference between these trajectories led to an interference pattern, which Stodolna magnified with an electrostatic lens and captured the image below of the electron earlier this year.

Such discoveries in our atomic sphere continue to open a world that has been closed for centuries. Most models of electrons and other atomic particles have been computer-generated based on mathematical calculations. We finally are improving our ability to go beyond computers and see things with our own eyes.

To me, this scientific discovery reinforces the idea that small achievements really do matter. Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” This step forward in understanding our microscopic world by itself may not change the course of history, but as the scientists and innovators in our world continue to make new discoveries, life will embrace new opportunities and wonder.

This idea can be applied to our lives far beyond the atomic level. As students, we should never forget that we are valuable, no matter how large or small our contributions are to our school, community, and the world. Sometimes I feel like we strive for ideals that are just way too large for any one person to satisfy. Dreams are important things, but don’t allow the achievement of a dream to be the only way you define success. Achievement does not have to be a grand ordeal— it can be a simple smile you have given others through your actions.

Join me next time as we continue to explore the weird of our universe. Through the vast monuments erected by mankind to the peculiar discovery of scientific phenomena, there is plenty left to discover around us.

Aditya Rengaswamy is a junior accounting student at CWRU. He enjoys doing various service projects like Kids Against Hunger, engaging and improving CWRU and hanging out with his brothers in ƟX.

Offsetting beyond the possible Ashley Yarus For the last year, six British communities piloted a program that weighs the benefit of development against the toll that progress may take on the environment.

Now the United Kingdom has outlined a plan for implementing a “biodiversity offsetting” program throughout the country.

Offsetting is a system wherein developers are permitted to develop environmentally sensitive areas if losses to biodiversity are compensated monetarily. Then the money is reallocated to pay for conservation activities elsewhere. The big pitch for biodiversity offsetting is that the program will allow the economy to grow while improving the natural environment.

In theory, this is a lovely idea. We build a nice new development where our growing population can prosper, create jobs that will stimulate the economy and infuse the parks and conservation sector with the money it needs to conserve more land and maintain the natural beauty and biodiversity of any given country. All is

well and good until one considers that the health of the environment— an entity that is undeniably threatened by the enormous footprint of humankind— is being directly correlated to a monetary amount.

Biodiversity is a truly slippery slope; it is an aspect of the environment that is known but impossible to truly understand, given the intricate interplay between even the most seemingly insignificant members of an ecosystem. Offsetting assumes that directly relating any region of nature to another is possible; it assumes that nature is interchangeable and that a bureaucratic system will be able to deem one area more beneficial for conservation while another region is given to industry and progress.

The idea of offsetting concretely places nature as equal to development as its worth to society, a rather disturbing equality to say the least. Biodiversity can be quantified and compared, but at the same time I can’t see any scientist worth their salt wishing to replace one with another.

Besides the fact that biodiversity cannot really be offset, the act of offsetting promotes the loss of responsibility. This is no minor point. Responsibility is the

root of respect, and when the law permits you to simply pay a fine and then go along your merry way, causing whatever damage you may deem acceptable, any sense of responsibility is lessened if not lost. Without a sense of responsibility the chasm between our surroundings and us is simply widened. The idea of responsibility is paramount to any sort of environmental thinking. I suppose the notion that offsetting is to be deemed a last resort is of some comfort, yet the phrasing of the program seems to suggest that “biodiversity offsetting” will be used as a means for recklessness and greater indiscretion.

Here at Case Western Reserve University, we live in that notorious bubble which encases us in a warm cocoon of academia, stress and, hopefully, fun. I like to think that this separation is rather superficial and that we, as a student body, live and contribute beyond our campus; that we do not lose our sense of responsibility when we enter our freshman residence halls and don our new personas as college students.

While our campus has an LEED cer-

tified building, a sustainability club and utilizes a food supplier that is relatively environmentally friendly, I am not convinced that our efforts are sincere or even substantial. I think that part of the issue stems from our claims that we are an environmentally sound campus. By claiming this title, we as students seem to unconsciously embrace the idea of offsetting.

If our campus is being so wonderful and giving back by investing in the concepts of environmentalism, then perhaps the weight is not so heavy on our individual shoulders. I think we all feel a little less responsible considering we’ve been told that someone else is doing our job for us.

Wondrous forces seem to be at work at CWRU when it comes to environmental progress, however we cannot remove ourselves from the equation. As we go on we must always seek to remember that we are not discrete, that we are not separate, and that we must all do our part to think about the bigger picture in every possible way – including the environment.

Ashley Yarus is a second year student studying Chemical Engineering.

opinion 15

observer.case.edu

Sidewalk trends that simply shouldn’t be Theresa Smetona Un-sCWRU Your Lifestyle While I generally look forward to attending my classes, I always dread the walk required to get to them. Granted, this is sometimes due to the torrential downpours, 100 percent humidity levels, whiteouts or other severe weather conditions native to Cleveland. But the root of my hesitation to walk to class has to do with the distressing sidewalk trends that cannot be avoided when traversing the campus. From flagrant violations of universal traffic rules (such as walk to your right, pass to your left) to much more peculiar activities such as LARPing, our campus sidewalks are host to a myriad of appalling behaviour. What follows is an inventory of common sidewalk aggravations on our campus.

1) Horde movement. The human is not a herd animal, and therefore there is no reason that so many students should be moving in packs. The waves of people that flock across the intersection of Euclid and Adelbert every fifty minutes are enormously daunting. Full-on collisions

and possible suffocation must be endured when attempting to go against the flow of student traffic. Numerous poor students have been seen to freeze or to frantically scuttle to the side when confronted with the oncoming surge of bodies.

2) Shuffling. I’m not referring to the Cupid Shuffle or a random stream of songs produced by your iPod. The behavior I would call your attention to is defined by Merriam-Webster as “moving or walking in a sliding dragging manner without lifting the feet.” Shuffling seems to be the preferred method of transportation to and from class for a significant percentage of the student population.

Besides giving the impression of utter slothfulness, shuffling is performed at an extremely low rate of speed, and thus is often a leading factor in the numerous traffic jams that occur on our sidewalks.

Finally, shuffling is curiously loud and extremely unpleasant to listen too, and almost evokes a horror-movie type sensation. When combined with the aforementioned horde movement, shuffling can be truly alarming.

3) Biking through crowds of people.

Don’t get me wrong, I support biking –

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it’s a low impact exercise that tones crucial leg muscles and provides great cardio, what’s not to like? The thing to remember with biking is that it should never be attempted in conjunction with seas, whether of water or people. The time and place for biking is not through Mather Quad at 9:20 a.m. It’s always annoying and often dangerous. Hardly a day passes in which I do not witness a collision either with a bike or caused by an attempt to avoid the biker whizzing by. Stress levels on this campus are high enough; there is no need to exacerbate students’ emotional fragility with the very real fear of being run over.

If you need to bike to class please find an alternative route that is not littered with pedestrians.

4) Excessive interest in one’s feet.

Perhaps I was born with lackluster tootsies, as I do not find them particularly fascinating or attention-worthy. I certainly do not see a need to ogle them while walking, but apparently many people on this campus do. Extraordinarily underdeveloped neck muscles may also be to blame, but either way, a remarkable number of students never lift their eyes from their feet while making their way to and from class. This

campus would seem a lot more human if its inhabitants would actually make eye contact with each other from time to time, but unfortunately everyone is too busy making sure their feet don’t disappear.

5) Lurking. We’ve all experienced this. You’ll be walking along, often in a low traffic area, when you suddenly hear the unmistakable sound of shuffling coming from an unnervingly close distance.

Hesitantly, you peer over your shoulder and there, treading on your heel, staring at his or your feet, is the lurker. You pick up your pace. The shuffling also accelerates.

Confused, you move to the side. The lurker does as well, content with pretending to be your shadow, refusing to acknowledge the vast amount of open sidewalk available for passing. Lurkers are not satisfied until they’ve driven you off the sidewalk or caused you to break into a frantic sprint.

On the road, tailgating another vehicle is illegal. Tailgating humans on sidewalks should be no different.

Theresa Smetona is a senior majoring in Spanish and English. In her free time, she likes to drink coffee and consider the possible benefits of her future unemployment.

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It doesn’t matter; it won’t significantly shake the surrounding community of CWRU. It’s a good thing; it’s a great opportunity for CWRU to expand its influence.

It’s not right; CWRU should have stuck to its original plan with UH.

the

Observer

16 opinion

Letter to the Editor While reading the article “What you tour guide won’t tell you about Case Western,” I became incredibly frustrated by the lack of selfawareness expressed in the article. I agree that there are many aspects of the university that students could be better informed about; however, the article seemed like an over-entitled, petulant diatribe. Life isn’t fair and no institution is perfect. In a few short years, every student at this university will move on to bigger and better things in the ‘real world.’ In this mythical place, individuals take responsibility for themselves and the situations they are in.

In my time at CWRU, I have witnessed near-constant grumbling about how the institution is not living up to expectations. Contrary to what the article asserts, there is a wealth of resources available at the university for students. As an individual who has had several different roles at CWRU, I can assure you that there are numerous individuals who are committed to improving the experience of students. Instead of imagining a better situation than you are in right now, acknowledge that nothing in the world will improve if you do not do something about it.

In order to have an improved student experience, you need to advocate for your positions. If you strongly believe that the library should be open on university and federal holidays, reach out to the library administrators. If you are not happy with the selection of food in the dining hall, discuss your concerns with the café managers or chose not to have a meal plan after your second year. If you are frustrated about curricula, consider what could be improved and make a proposal to academic administrators. If you prefer collective action, you can participate in committees of USG and RHA, such as Academic Affairs, Information Technology or Residential Relations. I would challenge every CWRU student to become an engineer of a better future, rather than just complain about what should be changed by someone else.

Sincerely, Sarah Hyde-Pinner, CAS 2006 P.S. If anyone wants to find something to do in Cleveland, I would be happy to give you a guided tour.

Letter to the Editor To the Editor: A university community should participate in open dialogue about ideas and suggestions, issues and concerns both within that community and abroad. A student newspaper is and should be the medium and outlet for such campus wide dialogue. Andrew Breland’s opinion piece, “What Your Tour Guides Don’t Tell You about Case Western,” has gotten the attention of students and administrators alike, agitating the absurd notion that the bubble we call University Circle is a utopia of fulfillment and diversity and thought.

Students seem to have lost, or at the very least are suppressing, their spirits of passion and curiosity that should drive success and facilitate education. This, I feel, is the electricity surging through Andrew Breland’s piece. It is an electricity that runs through every student that cares about his or her home for what should be among the most stimulating and fruitful years of his or her life; an electricity that shows itself like lightning, awe-inspiring and wild; an electricity that cannot merely be turned off with a switch.

If we all allow that energy to flow through us we would re-establish the desire to converse and participate in a greater dialogue. If we allow ourselves to get worked up over things and look closer at ourselves and the world, the haze of discontent and disillusionment would dissipate, and clouds of growth would billow across our community.

Jacob Martin Undergraduate Student

Corrections The editorial that appeared in the September 6, issue of the Observer incorrectly described the impact of the affiliation agreement between Case Western Reserve’s medical school and University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) as it applies to research. In practice, the affiliation means that School of Medicine bears primary responsibility for medical education and most research, while UHCMC leads clinical care and research that involves hospital-based, industry-sponsored clinical trials.

An article in the Arts and Entertainment section in the Sept. 6 issue of the Observer incorrectly stated that the Beachland Ballroom was in East Cleveland. The Beachland Ballroom is located in Collinwood in eastern Cleveland, not the neighborhood of East Cleveland.

9/13/13

Letter to the Editor Dear Chief Editor, I would like to call to your attention an article written in the September 6th 2013 issue of The Observer. I would like to point many fallacies that were found within in the article “What your tour guides don’t tell you about Case Western” written by Andrew Breland. The article points out that students at Case Western do not have any free time for extracurricular activities outside of the immense class work assigned. According to the article, this work is higher than other more challenging schools such as Carnegie Mellon, University of Washington in St. Louis, the University of Chicago and most Ivy League schools. This article claims that Case Western is in the top one percent of the least manageable workloads in the country. This is not only an extremely subjective claim, but also untrue for the majority of Case Western students. The person who wrote this article is a triple major, which is uncommon for the majority of students at this institution. Furthermore, the total combined credit hours of this person in question’s major is only 90 hours, which is much less than 120 hours needed for most engineering majors. The majors of English, History and Political Science require much less work, and even less classes than majors such as Biomedical engineering, especially if they are premed as well.

The person writing this article also seems extremely hypocritical as well.

He claims that he has over 1,000 pages of reading per week (which is probably not true at all) and that he, like most Case students, is overwhelmed with work and has no time for extracurricular activities. However, in his biography he claims to be the treasurer of the Case Mock Trial, vice president of the Case Republicans and a tour guide as well. To complain about having too big of a workload to not be able to do extracurricular activities but still being in them is not only hypocritical but foolish as well. If one has too much of a workload, drop one of these activities or make one of the triple majors a minor. I myself am a triple major in Spanish, Political Science and Economics. This triple major has not prevented me from being in numerous extracurricular activities. I am President of the Carlton Road Community Council, intend to participate in economic research and am also a huge participant in intramural sports. Poor time management is not the fault of the professor assigning the work but of the students and planning their work around their schedules.

Another paragraph in the article complains about Kelvin Smith Library not being open on federal holidays and during breaks. I would just like to say that I have rarely ever seen many students trying to do a lot of work during breaks. Most people that I know relax during breaks, and do their work once the break is over. There are also numerous quiet places all over campus to study. Furthermore most students return home during long breaks, especially spring, Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks. Later in the article he complains about Bon Appetit having terrible food that is bland and unoriginal. The quality of the food here at Case Western is much better than other universities, and we were named one of the best mid-size dining halls in the country. He also claims that Bon Appetit management never responds to complaints about food and other related things. This is another false claim, as I have seen the management of Bon Appetit respond to any complaints and requests. As a member of the Residence Hall Association I have seen the students attend bi-monthly food committee meetings where students can make requests with the Bon Appetit management, and I have seen these requests actually fulfilled.

To say that the printers on campus don’t work 80 percent of the time is not only a false statement, but completely unfounded as well. I would like to see proof of an actual survey done to prove this. Since the printers were replaced with the WEPA cloud system printers, I have rarely ever seen any of the printers broken down, and have never heard anyone actually complain about the printers being broken. To complain about the SAGES program is absolutely ridiculous. Most of these classes are given as a break to students from their major/minor classes. Furthermore most of these classes can be extremely interesting such as SAGES courses in SubSaharan African education, Business in Sports, Spices and many more. To say that all SAGES courses are uninteresting is a huge subjective claim.

Most SAGES professors are experts in the field that the class is taught in, such as medicine, music and business. These professors provide valuable insight, and possible connections that can be used in the future.

The published article has had many more flaws than any useful insight.

As a tour guide myself I have found this article offensive and not at all true. I, as well as many other people who have read this article are extremely upset with the editor for allowing it to be published. We would like The Observer to apologize for this poorly-edited article.

Krishna Mahadevan Undergraduate Student

Disclaimer The opinions expressed by individual columnists in the Opinion section do not constitute or reflect the opinions of The Observer editorial staff, Media Board or Case Western Reserve University. Articles in the Opinion section are edited for grammar, clarity and AP Style, not content. For the opinions of The Observer staff, refer to the weekly Editorial, an opinion which is informed by discussion and a collaborative editing process, rather than the opinions of a single person. Any opinions expressed in the Opinion section do not affect our news gathering practices or commitment to journalistic integrity. The Opinion section is a forum for students to express their opinions and engage in informed discussion. If you wish to submit your opinion or commentary, please submit a letter to the editor.

observer.case.edu

sports | 17

Arianna Wage/Observer

Arianna Wage/Observer

from Volleyball | 20 matches.

Two more challenging opponents were lined up for CWRU on Saturday when they faced off with the Geneva Golden Tornadoes and the Capital Crusaders. Challenging every point, the Spartans played well at the net against Geneva College, but found themselves down two sets to zero with scores of 23-25 and 24-26. Despite a hard-fought win in the third set with a score of 2520, the ladies were unable to stop the Geneva offense and lost the final set 23-25. With only one match left, the ladies had one chance to keep their .500 record. The Capital College team had been playing well throughout the tournament, which didn’t bode well for the inexperienced Spartan squad.

However, despite the high level of play on both sides, the Spartans beat the Crusaders in decisive fashion, winning three straight sets with scores of 25-22, 25-12 and 25-19. Freshman Isabelle Wagner shone in day two, serving up 27 kills and only five errors, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. Wagner was assisted by several outstanding players in the front of the court including Bogart, Gurd, Junior Natalie Southard, Sophomore Haley Kauffman, and freshmen Kenya Moyers and Kristen Mitchell.

When asked about the surprising turn-around in the Capital match, coach Karen Farrell gave credit to the leadership on the team giving the other players confidence and motivation to

play at their best level. “I want to think we hit a new peak,” Farrell said, “The match was the best we had played up to that point.” The squad performed at an entirely new level for the last match of the tournament and was looking to keep the momentum going against nationally-ranked Mount Union on Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, the Spartans were unable to match up against No. 9 Mount Union University. The Purple Raiders won in straight sets as the Spartans were bested at the net by the dominant offense of their opponent.

The team recognized the skill of their counterpart in this match and did well to stay motivated, going on several scoring runs late in the sets. However,

they weren’t able to get anything going before losing in straight sets with scores of 19-25, 14-25 and 13-25.

After most of the starting team graduated last year, the Spartans are still struggling to find their rhythm.

Many of the positions are still in flux with first-year players being asked to perform at a high level to win their spot on the starting squad. Farrell expects that as the ladies gain confidence and experience, the level of play will rise to meet the high level of talent on the team.

The challenges will continue the Purple Raider Classic this weekend in Alliance, Ohio. The squad will face off against Transylvania University, Hanover College and Kalamazoo College in the two-day event.

from Soccer | 20

Fighting Scots (4-1). “Wooster is a very good team, undefeated coming into the game and ranked 6th in the region. Getting the win against a strong opponent is always great,” Crooks said, “And finding a goal in a high pressure situation like overtime is even better.”

The Scots kept a strong presence and battled the Spartans for 106 strong minutes, as neither team was able to break through. That changed when Sabers finished off Levey’s corner kick, the game’s only goal, to give the Spartans the win with only 4:08 left in the second overtime. Regulation was scoreless even though the Spartans outshot the Scots, nine shots to two, in regular time. Case Western’s defense also played well, clearing a few almostcostly late attacks by the Scots. “I’m very pleased that we were put under pressure and able to recover and prevent scoring chances,” Crooks said, “There will always be mistakes in sport. I’m much more concerned about what happens after the mistake than I am about the mistake. Those are the moments that will define us.”

The past two games have defined the Spartans heading into the bulk of

the season. The goal for the Spartans is simple. “The plan is to keep moving forward as a group, improving our chemistry on the field and starting to click even better,” said Crooks. With two

strong wins the team prepares to start a four match away stand. CWRU will play away on Sunday afternoon against Wittenberg and Wednesday against Baldwin Wallace.

was led by number seven, junior forward Jessica Sabers, who scored the first goal of the game in the 18th minute off an assist by Kiley Armstrong. Senior captain Leah Levey then added a goal of her own in the 36th minute. The Spartan midfielders dominated the first half, allowing Heidelberg into the Case defensive half only six times in the first 45 minutes.

Heidelberg charged back in the second half with a few strong pushes past midfield. Sabers, however, continued to lead the offense and added in blowing the game wide open when she assisted on the Spartans’ third goal, which was scored by Rachel Hammond in the 72nd minute. The Spartans dominated with 32 shots to Heidelberg’s four. The Spartans used the lead to work in other players. “Getting to play everyone was awesome,” Crooks said.

Tuesday night was a difficult win for the Spartans. The team beat The College of Wooster in a double overtime at Case Field by a score of one to nothing. The Spartans played a hard fought game against the previously undefeated

Charlotte Palmer/Observer

18 | sports

9/6/13

Editor’s Choice

Men’s Soccer team chalks first victory

J.P. O’Hagan Contributing Reporter

The Case Western men’s soccer team cruised by Pitt-Greensburg for their first win of the season Saturday. The Spartans then forced a tie against Baldwin Wallace University on Wednesday night. The past two games bring the Spartans’ record to 1-0-3. The game against Pitt-Greensburg was a very strong showing. “It was a fairly complete performance from the team,” said coach Brandon Bianco. The team played well Wednesday night as well, but were only able to force a tie, the third of the season.

After two ties to open the season, the Spartans were still searching for a win heading into last Saturday’s game against the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats. They didn’t have to look any longer as the Spartans dominated up and down the field, beating Bobcats easily by a score of 4-0. Junior

Kathleen Weiser Contributing Reporter

midfielder Ryan Finstad scored the first goal of the game for CWRU finding the back of the net in the 34th minute, after receiving an assist from freshmen Jacob Grindel. The score was one to nothing at half time and reminded close until the 65th minute mark when sophomore Slater Jameson scored his second goal of the season. Just before the 72nd minute mark Logan Glosser scored to place the game out of reach of the Bobcats.

Freshman Brandon White added a goal of his own five minutes later to bring the score to a dominating 4-0. Freshman goalkeeper Ari Lewis needed no saves during his 72 minutes in net, nor did Frank Candau who finished the game for the Spartans. The defense had a dominating game as CWRU held Pitt-Greensburg to only two shots the entire game, one in each half. “It was a good win for sure, the guys played well and got everyone playing time,” Bianco said.

Wednesday’s match was a physical game with 21 fouls and three yellow cards between the two teams. After a scoreless first half Baldwin Wallace scored first, when the Yellow Jackets’ Aaron Harden found the back of the net two minutes into the second half. The Spartans then had to play catch up. The Spartans finally found the equalizer when Brandon White beat the Yellow Jacket goalie for his second goal of the season in the 74th minute.

The two teams continued to battle back and forth through two overtimes. The Spartans were able to out shoot the Yellow Jackets in overtime but were unable to find the go ahead and winning goal in the two sudden death overtimes. The defense was instrumental in holding back the Baldwin Wallace offense, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 14 shots, compared to the Spartan’s 28 shots. Lewis had a

strong outing, recording four big saves between the posts. The Spartans are still undefeated but look to capitalize on close games, after only being able to scrape out ties in three of the four games they have played this season.

The Spartans have been working on improving their game over the past week. The coaching staff wants to get the defenders into the attack, to make the offense smoother and even more productive. In addition the team is working to be sharper with the ball and their passing. “The approach is always the same,” Bianco said. “We prepare the same way for every game.”

The Spartans will continue their away series at Penn State-Behrend next Tuesday, Sept. 17th. That will be the last game leading up to Case Western’s home opener against Franklin on Saturday, Sept. 21st.

Tennis season to begin with dual coaches

The collegiate tennis season kicks off this weekend with both Spartan teams nationally ranked previously, with an addition of a promising crop of incoming freshmen. The tennis teams will compete in separate matches over the coming weeks before the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships on the weekends of September 20th and 27th. Both teams are looking to improve their national rankings this season with a brand new tennis facility on campus and a re-structuring of the coaching staff to provide more individual support.

For the first time in the history of the program, both the men’s and women’s team will have separate coaches. Last year, Case Western Reserve University was one of only two schools to earn national ranking with both teams with only one head coach. This led to a number of conflicts with the scheduling of tournaments and

regional championships. The head coach, Todd Wojtkowski knew that the school needed to provide more support to each player to get to the next level. Based on Wojtkowski’s recommendation along with a spectacular showing from both teams last year, the administration decided to promote assistant coach Kristen Gambrell to head coach of the women’s team. This, along with brand new facility, has really helped raise the level of excitement within the program. “Now that we have a home and home matches everyone’s really excited,” Wojtkowski said.

Last year the women’s team obtained their first-ever national ranking, ending the year at 25th nationally with a ranked singles player, sophomore Sara Zargham.

This year the team is composed of 15 players; four freshmen, eight sophomores and three juniors. The four freshmen were determined to be the 23rd highest rated

recruiting class in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network. With a new emphasis on this program and a dedicated head coach, the women’s team looks to improve on last year’s highest ranking of 22nd. The women will travel to Oberlin College this weekend to open their season before their ITA Regional competition on the 21st and 22nd.

The men’s team comes into the new year ranked as the 13th best program nationally and a returning ITA All-American in Sophomore Christopher Krimbill. The team lost many senior players to last year’s graduating class, but looks to stay successful with an exciting new freshman class which was rated as the 14th highest nationally by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The squad includes 21 players with seven freshmen, six sophomores, two juniors and five seniors. Wojkowski has noticed an increase in talent with the

new team and a new level of focus and determination. “Last year, the leadership on the team was more social, but this year the team is more hard-working. They don’t mind giving up Friday and Saturday nights for practice,” he said.

The team will need to work hard to surpass last year’s success.The men’s squad will open their season at the Kenyon Invitational and the Purdue invitational before moving on to their regional competition on the weekend of September 27th.

Both the men and the women will be focused on individual performance leading up to the ITA Regional championship, which leads to the small college national championship in the Fall. The team will then focus on the NCAA championships early next year. For the first time, CWRU will be hosting the national indoor championships in their new facility.

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Sarah Whelan/Observer

It remains to be seen if freshman John Mangelluzzi will replicate his showing from last week’s victory, where he put up 96 receiving yards including a 42 yard reception. Though he is less experienced than some of his counterparts, the sheer athleticism he showed in last week’s game seems indicative of a promising collegiate career.

“He’s certainly a kid we recognize as talented and we’ll devise ways to get him the ball, but slowly. We’re not going to throw a lot at him, because he’s still mentally trying to figure things out,” said Debeljak of Mangelluzzi. “But physically, he’s obviously a talent, so we’ll try and find ways to get him the ball more and more as the year goes on.”

The Spartans will play Oberlin at Savage Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. Their next home game is versus Linfield on Sept. 28.

For coverage and analysis of Sunday’s game, and other CWRU sports, visit observer.case.edu.

observer.case.edu

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After opening victory, Spartans to take on Oberlin

Sarah Whelan/Observer Riordon (34), a senior, is returning after a season-ending injury last year. He racked up two touchdowns on the ground and 51 net yards in the season opener.

Katie Wieser Contributing Reporter After their victory against Marietta, the Spartan football team is heading to Oberlin this Sunday to take on the Yeomen at Savage Stadium.

Last Saturday, the Spartans took down the Pioneers 37-16 under the lights at Case Field in the season opener, putting up impressive numbers on both offense and defense. Despite several problems, including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the opening kick return, Case Western kept the lead and never lost it, cementing their lead in the second half and maintaining it against a Pioneer resurgence in the fourth quarter against the Spartans’ third and fourth strings.

“We feel happy with the way we played in the first game,” said head coach Greg Debeljak of the victory. “We feel confident, but we know we have to improve.”

Historically, the Spartans have done very well versus Oberlin, going 31-5, including an ongoing 28 game win streak.

The last time the two teams met, in 2012, the game went into overtime but eventually resulted in a Case Western victory after a pass by then-sophomore quarterback Billy Beecher. It was his first pass for a touchdown in collegiate play.

But despite that comparative squeaker during the two teams’ last match up, head coach Greg Debeljak says the Spartans are ready to hit the road. “I don’t think going on the road affects us as much as people would think,” he said. “We don’t view it as a disadvantage.”

Last year’s Yeomen went 4-6, with a 3-4 record in conference play.

Oberlin, located in nearby Lorain County, has a particularly strong ground game, presenting another challenge for the Spartans young defense. In Friday’s home opener, three Spartan sophomores, Everett Dishong, Gavin Sandidge and Aaron Weisberg put up impressive tackling numbers. Dishong had 12, with 1.5 for a loss, Sandidge had 12 with 2 for a loss and Weisberg had 8 tackles, including 4 pass

break ups.

Though still relatively unproven, the defensive squad will be tested by Oberlin running backs Moses Richardson and Blake Buckhannon, who put up 108 yards on 20 carries and 38 yards on 12 carries, respectively. Buckhannon also wracked up 59 yards on six catches in the air.

Also indicative of Oberlin’s power on the ground is sophomore quarterback Lucas Poggiali, who put 110 yards rushing on the board last year, along with a single rushing touchdown.

To Debeljak, Oberlin’s ground-based offense will be a test of his defense, but one he feels will be fruitful. “We certainly recognize that right now [running] is probably the strength of their offense, and we’ll do some things with game planning to take that into account,” he said.

Opposing the Spartan defense will be a marquee offense, headed by running back Kenny Riordan and quarterbacks Billy Beecher and Erick Olson. The Spartans have structured their offense to highlight the strength of their backs, with Beecher and Riordan combining for a strong presence on the ground while Olson compliments them in the air. Riordan, a senior, rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s game, showing a strong recovery from last year’s injury that ended his 2012 season early.

Manny Sicre, a junior, also managed to put 37 yards on the board, including a 24 yard carry, despite almost not dressing for last week’s game due to a high ankle sprain. He is expected to dress for the Oberlin game, though the transition from Case Field’s turf to Savage Stadium’s grass may prove problematic.

Beecher and Olson both had a solid offensive presence versus Marietta, with Beecher collecting 127 yards, and Olson putting up 119 yards and a touchdown.

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sports

Women’s Soccer moves forward to 3-1

The women’s soccer team advanced to a 3-1 record after their game against Wooster on Tuesday resulted in a win in double overtime.

Arianna Wage/Observer

J.P. O’Hagan Contributing Reporter The women’s soccer team advanced to 3-1 this past week with two great wins at home against Heidelberg College and The College of Wooster. The Spartans easily defeated Heidelberg by a score

Kathleen Weiser Contributing Reporter

of three to nothing in last Friday’s home opener. The game was followed by a thrilling double overtime 1-0 win against The College of Wooster when the Spartans scored the game’s only goal

in the 106th minute. The Spartans have spent the week finding a good rhythm to carry them through the season. “We have spent time assessing our play,” said head coach Tiffany Crooks, “We are

looking to highlight what we think we are good at.”

The Spartans’ win against Heidelberg

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Spartan Volleyball 4-5 entering third week

The Spartan volleyball team is 4-5 entering into the third week of its season this weekend. After a week at home competing in the 15th annual Marcia French Memorial Tournament and facing off against Mount Union College on Wednesday night, the ladies are looking to improve to a winning record in their upcoming matches.

The Marcia French Memorial Tournament got off to a great start for the Spartans on Friday afternoon when they bested the John Carroll University Blue Streaks in four sets with scores of 25-20, 15-25, 25-16 and 25-23. With an aggressive game, the team tore through the Blue Streak defense for this decisive win. With an energetic home crowd, the

ladies their second match against the Buffalo State Bengals strong, taking the first set 25-14 before dropping two straight with scores of 18-25 and 13-25.

In a critical fourth set, the ladies stepped up with a 25-18 win before losing the final set and the match with a score of 12-15. The team got results from many of its veteran and rookie players with

sophomore Carolyn Bogart leading the attack with 35 kills on the day, receiving help from freshman Lauren Gurd with 81 assists and defensive players sophomore Katie Best and freshman Julie Colianni with a total of 80 digs during the two

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